Let the Sun Shine In

“Here comes the sun,
Here comes the sun,
And I say it’s alright.”
– The Beatles

Eli Lilly Sets Example

Kudos to Eli Lilly and Company for its decision today to create a registry to disclose its payments to physicians. The company said its move was intended to help the industry as a whole improve its “tarnished reputation” (as Aaron Barr writes in Media Post) among consumers (and healthcare professionals, one would expect). Lilly President & CEO John Lechleiter announced the move saying that his company has “learned that letting people see for themselves what we’re doing is the best way to build trust.”

What’s also heartening and darned commendable is that Lilly is not just launching this registry on a microsite somewhere out in the Web’s hinterlands. Rather, the company is planning a media and consumer awareness campaign. As company spokesperson Edward Sagebeil said, “It’s not use putting it out there if consumers can’t get to the information they need. I can’t imagine that we will not do everything possible to promote the site.”

Here’s hoping that other executives from Wall Street (yes, those guys) to Main Street recognize the power of Lilly’s example and choose to err on the side of transparency and integrity in a business world sorely lacking both.